The Boy and the Snake
by Skykhanhunter
Summary: A look at Raki's relationship with Priscilla during their travels. Done as part of a challenge by SissyHIYAH. Oneshot


Set as a challenge from SissyHIYAH, this is oneshot revolving around the period of time where Raki and Priscilla travel together. Adult Raki is Badass. Also I do not own the awesomeness which is Claymore, Norihiro Yagi does and we must praise his creative skills. I own nada.

_

* * *

_

_There is an old fable, about a boy who found an injured venomous snake in his house. He took care of it, nursed it and helped it grow strong. Then when it was ready, it left. And he followed it. He followed it out of the city, out of his province and into the desert. The snake began to feel the knawing pangs of hunger eating at it. But it continued its journey and the boy followed. He too was feeling hunger grinding at his stomach, churning it up. But he still followed. Days passed and eventually the snake had to eat. It turned and bit the boy following it. As the boy lay dying the snake asked him, "Why did you do it? Why did you follow me out here knowing that you were going to die?"_

_The boy smiled wanly and replied, "I wanted to make sure you didn't hurt anyone else."_

Raki gazed across the horizon, his eyes set on the town ahead. How long had it been now? Seven, eight, nine years? He couldn't remember exactly, it had been very long nonetheless. Would any of his former friends even remember him? He doubted it. Life was much harder in these parts than it would be in a city like Rabona, where Sid and Galk had both recognised him almost at once. Life here chewed the dreamers up and spat them out when it was done because they were too slow to move out of its grinding, menacing path. You either stayed on the ball, got your head down and worked, or you didn't survive a single winter. Raki smiled. Clare had saved his life in more ways than one, for he had been a dreamer, a hardworking dreamer, but a dreamer nevertheless. Eventually he wouldn't have been able to support himself, or any family he might have had, and he would have been carried out of the village on a pyre.

Then he felt the small hand of his travelling companion slip into his. Priscilla gazed up at him with her big brown eyes, full of her love and trust. Though Raki was the older looking, in truth Priscilla was twice his age at least, in spite of her childlike appearance. She was an Awakened Being, a powerful fusion of Yoma and Human, a perfect killing and eating machine. And what she ate was human flesh and innards. But Raki had been travelling with her for five years at this point and she had not once taken a single bite for all the toll it took on her. Isley of the North, another powerful Awakened Being, had charged him with her protection and her care before he'd left them. Raki walked the earth hand in hand with one of the most powerful beings to ever exist.

But Isley had been Raki's mentor in the ways of the sword, he'd taught him all he knew and he too had held back his eating habits for a long time, just as Priscilla had. Everything with intelligence was capable of changing its habits, and Awakened Beings were very intelligent and very capable. Priscilla and Isley were both proof of it.

Priscilla loved Raki with all her heart, that much was evident from the way she clung to him, the way she looked at him and the way she curled up to him at night. Was this what he'd been like to Clare, except for the night time bed sharing of course, that was something he'd only ever thought about, but the way he'd held dear to her, was that how he'd acted? Was this how all fathers felt when they felt a child's hand slip into theirs in the shadows of the day? Priscilla acted as his guide as they hunted Yoma together, surviving on towns and villages good graces as Raki honed his skills. Priscilla would locate the Yoma and Raki would terminate it. Between them they made a single Claymore, Isley had joked when he'd heard about their exploits. Everywhere they went, they protected each other, and Raki would never leave her.

Did he love her? Not in the same way he loved Clare. Clare was strong, tough, beautiful and independent, everything he found admirable in a woman. But Priscilla was the opposite. She held him tightly, she spent every minute with him, within reason of course, she held his hand while they walked and above all else, she smiled at him with those big brown eyes, those eyes which held so much life in them. Priscilla had even stopped eating human flesh during their time together. Now, as a result, she was a tiny thing, small and light, completely childlike in every way. And Raki loved her as if she were his own. When she got tired, as she did after walking for long periods of time, he's hoist her up into his arms and he'd carry her. Surprisingly for one so powerful, she also feared thunder and lightning, and loneliness. There were times when he had to hold her, long into the night, until she fell asleep against the warmth of his torso. Childlike in every way. Raki now knew everything that any father felt, but he also felt the feelings that Clare had had while looking out for him. Twice Priscilla had come under attack from Yoma. Both times she had escaped by her own strength, but using it was a burden to her and he'd stood over her, sword drawn as he slashed each and every one of the monsters down.

It was ironic really. Normally she found the Yoma, and then he killed it. Isley had once joked that between them they made one Claymore. But the truth was they were better than a Claymore. Raki knew of Claymores, he'd travelled with one; he'd lived with her and met several of her co-workers. They all shared the same traits. Solitude and loneliness, though they hid it well. Not so with the two of them. They had each other and they would never trade it for the world.

However, Raki was not naïve. Once maybe, but it was no longer the case. He knew Priscilla was reaching her limit, he knew she'd have to feed soon. And he knew he'd have to kill her if she did. Once before he'd had the opportunity and he'd let her live. He would not have that luxury the next time, if there was one. Their journey was always tinged with sadness, and every time she looked at him with those eyes, he'd feel a little piece of himself die inside. One day he'd have to cut off the life from those eyes, or else he'd have to watch them change. Raki knew his limits as well. If it became a fight, he would lose. She was beyond anything he could ever feasibly become. Likely as not, the first person Priscilla ate would be him. It was inevitable, unstoppable and something he'd long ago made peace with. The most he could do was take her with him.

"_I just want to make sure you don't hurt anyone else." _

_

* * *

_

Who can tell me what RPG that fable originally comes from? When you find out, you'll also note that I don't own it either. Cheers Sissy.


End file.
